Bearing seal



March 3, 1942; R. R. SEARL'ES 2,275,325

BEARING SEAL Original Filed Nov. 5, 1936 INVENTOR Ply/"0ND 2. SEELES ATTQRNEYS.

'tlon Fig. 1 is an-edge view in quarter section of a.

alentcd Mar. 3, 1942 BEARING SEAL Raymond R. Searles, New Britain, Comm, assignor to The Fafnir Bearing Company, New Britain, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Original application November 5, 1936, Serial No.

109,211. Divided and this application December 12, 1939, Serial No. 308,810

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a seal bearing. This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 109,211, filed November 5, 1936. As is well known, anti-friction bearings, such as ball bearings, are manufactured to a high degree of precision'and properoperati'on of the bearing ,presupposes that the rings shall remain round and concentric, that is, that one or both of the rings will not be distorted substantially soas to cause it tobe out of round. Various types of seals have been widely used in anti-friction hearings to seal lubricant in and prevent the ingress of foreign material. Such seals havetaken various forms, a common form including a metallic annulus, forced into the outer ring friction tight, or swedged or otherwise forced into a groove in the outer ring so as to provide a leak-proof joint. Such seal plates, if not exactly round or if round and applied in a groove in the outer ring, will often distort the outer ring to such anextent as to cause the bearing to be out of round and this is particularly so if the joint between the seal and the outer ring is tight enough so as to be leakproof. Such bearings will, if forced out of round, soon deteriorate and fail. Other types of seals have been used but are open to other objections.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide an improved form of seal, which will provide a substantially leak-proof joint and yet will in no wise distort the bearing ring carrying the same.

Another object is to a seal providing a tight joint with the ring carrying the same and which may be readily removed for any purpose desired.

Another object is to provide an anti-friction bearing'with an improved seal which, if it engages a metallic part, will not cause undue noise or wear.

It is another object to provide ananti-friction bearing with a seal which may be very quickly andireadily assembled and disassembled.

In general the, object is to provide an im proved form of seal bearing.

Other objects and various features of invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art or will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawing which shows, for illustrative purposes, only a preferred form of the invenprovide a bearing having In said drawing the bearing includes anouter bearing ring 5 and an inner bearing ring 6, with interposed balls I. The balls run in races and are held in retainers, all as is common practice. The particular bearing shown is of the unit handling type wherein the balls running in the races hold the two rings against displacement.

In the form shown the seal is provided with a rather wide outer projecting portion 26 ntting in a wide groove 21 in the outer ring. The seal 25 below the projection 26 is offset and bears against the ring surface at 28. The main part of the seal is. therefrom moved out so as to be flush with the edge of the bearing. It will be seen that there is a very wide and substantial bearing provided, between the outer ring and the seal, so

that the latter is securely heldagainst both tip-- ping and accidental displacement. The inner edge of the seal extends into sealing proximity to the inner ring and, as shown, approaches the rabbeted portion 29.

V The seal isformed of yielding material, such as rubber or synthetic rubber, preferably of a type of material treated to be or inherently oil bearing ring with which it is engaged. The

ball bearingillustrating'features of the invention; Fig. 2 is an axial view inelevation of the bearing shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away.

comparative yield-ability of the seal material also permits expansion of the grease, due either to heating of the bearing or movement of the grease due to normal operation and thus prevents to a large extent the leaking of grease past the spaced-apa 1. seal surfaces between the seal and the ring.

I have herein shown seals at only one side of each bearing. It is to be understood, however, that the same or different seals could be used at opposite sides of all of the bearings when the bearing is exposed at both sides.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail it is to be understood that various other modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I- claim:

1. In adevice of: the character indicated, two

concentric relatively rotatable members held in spaced apart relationship, one of said members her to extend across the space between said relatively rotatable members for sealing the space therebetween, said seal member including a sealing proximity to the ring at a zone oifset.

axially outwardly from said annular groove and the outer surface being substantially flush with the outer edge of said grooved member.

2. In a device of the character indicated, two concentric relatively rotatable members held in spaced apart relationship, the outer of said members having an annular circumferentially extending integral groove inwardly of the edge thereof and facing the inner of said members, the inner of said members having a rabbeted portion facing said annular groove and ofiset axially therefrom, a seal for sealing the space between said members including a washer of relatively flexible impervious non-metallic material extending into lubricant sealing relationship with a said rabbeted portion at one edge, the opposite edge being transversely enlarged and having a generally radially outwardly extending projection fitting in said groove, a part of said transversely enlarged portion resiliently fitting against said outer member adjacent the outer edge of said groove. I

RAYMOND R. SEARLES. 

